Feb. 22, 2026

“BE HOPEFUL”

“A CHIP OFF THE ROCK”

1 PETER 2:4-8

*Three Aspects Of Who Christ Is As The Living Stone:

Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

1.  The Living Stone- 1 Peter 2:4-5

1 Peter 2:4-5 “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

vs.4- “Coming to Him”

We need to come humbly to God everyday:

1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

We can come boldly to God anytime:

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

vs.4- “as to a living stone…”

Genesis 49:24 “But his bow remained in strength, And the arms of his hands were made strong By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel).”

Exodus 17:5-6 “And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

Water comes from the stone to take care of the people’s thirst:

1 Corinthians 10:4 “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

“That “Rock” was Christ”

Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.”

Deuteronomy 32:15 “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.”

Deuteronomy 32:18 “Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.”

Beware of false rocks:

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

“That you are Peter…”- Greek “petros” little stone

vs.4 “…rejected indeed by men…”- disallowed, to examine the evidence and make an intelligent decision, to accept or reject.

John 1:11 “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

Truth is truth, whether we believe it or not!

vs.4 “…but chosen by God and precious.”- “precious”- rare, one of a kind, no one else like Him.

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

vs.5 “you also, as living stones…”

We are to be living stones, not loaded canons. We are to love genuinely.

Living stones not loose stones:

1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Ephesians 2:19-21 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.”

1 Kings 6:7 “And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.”

“…are being built up a spiritual house…” vs.5

vs.5 “…a holy priesthood…”

Romans 12:1-2

Philippians 4:18 “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.”

2.   The Chief Cornerstone- 1 Peter 2:6

1 Peter 2:6 “Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

*Jesus is to be the foundation of our lives:

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

*How Do We Activate The Chief Cornerstone?We must believe on Him.

vs.6 “…And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”

3.  The Head Of The Corner- 1 Peter 2:7-8

1 Peter 2:7-8 “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”

vs.8 “…A stone of stumbling…”

Isaiah 8:14-15 “He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken.”

Romans 9:32-33 “Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

vs.8 “… a rock of offense.”- the crushing blow:

Daniel 2:34 “You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.”

We as believers today need to be stones of stumbling and rocks of offense to those around us because we are be “chips off the Rock.”

What are you today? A dead stone or a “living stone?” Are you living like a “loaded canon” or “a living stone?” Are you tied to the church and doing your part or causing problems?